In The Countryside

Martha’s Vineyard Island

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Linda and her husband Jules bought this place in 2009, in the idyllic Martha’s Vineyard island in Massachusetts. They did not think immediately of a major renovation, until Linda met Tamara, the owner of an eclectic boutique, and invited her over for a consultation. From there, the renovation project began. Tamara brought in old barn beams for the dining-room ceiling and transformed the kitchen with custom cabinets of salvaged oak and hemlock. « Worn materials add warmth and history », explains the shopkeeper, who is also an interior designer. The 1931 home, which sits atop a hill overlooking the ocean, offered 10 acres and enough bedrooms for the couple’s three children and two grandchildren.

Source : Country Living

Butterflies in the Hamptons

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Tiina Laakkonen, a former model and now a fashion stylist, grew up in Imatra, a small town in Finland. Her husband Jon spent his childhood summers in Amagansett, N.Y., and Tiina and Jon decided to buy a mid-20th-century house there, surrounded largely by working farms. The house had in fact been modeled on a potato barn, but it was in a huge state of neglect. With the help of some architects, the couple mapped out a house that looks as though two original barns and a more contemporary one have been connected by steel and glass walkways. The contemporary barn, a sleek white structure with a zinc roof and a poured concrete floor, is the heart of the house: kitchen, dining and main living areas all in one great room.

The house, Tiina says, is “full of Finland.” The couple travel there twice a year, and every room contains the spoils of their shopping sprees. No detail was left to chance: “I like when you can still see the person’s hand in things,” she says. “Anything that is made by hand will age better than something that has been manufactured. It’s the same for fashion.”

Source : T Magazine

Cabin retreat

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Pure and simple, this traditional Massachusetts cabin would be perfect for a weekend retreat in total serenity. Three years ago, the owners filmmaker Bobby Houston and his partner Eric Shamie decided to turn this 1960s rancher in the Berkshire mountains into their own personal getaway. Bobby and Eric added an abundance of windows to make the house feel like a part of nature, rather than a retreat from it. Bright wood, white furniture, stone wall… everything reminds us nature ! I love the cool wood effect of the coffee table in the living room !

Source : Country Living

Colourful playground

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Sofia moved here five years ago, with her husband and four children in this creative home in Katrineholm, Sweden. She runs the blog and web store Mokkasin and uses her home’s basement for shop’s inventory and sometimes photo studio. The house was first not so pretty, and everything had to be changed or renovated to become the colourful and joyful playground you see.

Source : Lovely Life

Old forge

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Stina felt in love for the valley of Gotland, the biggest island in Sweden, and decided to build up her dream house from this old forge. When the house was purchased in 1979, this forge was just a ruin. In the living room the original floor was replaced with flat stones picked on the beach. Flea market treasures and pastels have created a truly unique feel.

Source : Lovely Life

Australian Holiday Home

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Melbourne-based designer Sarah Quin, her husband John, and their three kids bought this property in Merricks on the Mornington Peninsula, near Melbourne, 4 years ago. They renovated it during a year, « generally working within the existing structure » says Sarah.  A fantastic kids rumpus room and two extra bedrooms have been created, the bathrooms and kitchen updated, and the home brightened throughout with the addition of larger windows and French doors. « Our favourite ‘picture window’ in the living room was originally a small, low sliding door » says Sarah. « It now creates a beautiful frame of the garden and Westernport Bay beyond ».

Source : The Design Files